the critic was considered to be an arbiter of modern literature.
Examples of arbiter
arbiter
Of course, customer surveys are subjective and not the final arbiter of quality.
From the businessweek.com
Asked if he had any regrets on Iraq he invoked, yet again, the ultimate arbiter.
From the time.com
He says his UR fragrances show his evolution as an artist and arbiter of tastes.
From the chron.com
An international proconsul was appointed as the final arbiter of political life.
From the economist.com
I too hope that audience ratings are not the sole arbiter of this sort of thing.
From the guardian.co.uk
The government and not the Military, he said, was the final arbiter on the bill.
From the en.wikipedia.org
It is a single volume that is considered the final arbiter of Swedish spelling.
From the en.wikipedia.org
The concise Oxford was to be arbiter but was only to be consulted in this role.
From the guardian.co.uk
I'm going to tell you, I'll go to any arbiter right now and show the dirty shots.
From the sacbee.com
More examples
Someone with the power to settle matters at will; "she was the final arbiter on all matters of fashion"
Someone chosen to judge and decide a disputed issue; "the critic was considered to be an arbiter of modern literature"; "the arbitrator's authority derived from the consent of the disputants"; "an umpire was appointed to settle the tax case"
In chess, International Arbiter is a title awarded by FIDE to individuals deemed capable of acting as arbiter in important chess matches (the arbiters are responsible for ensuring the rules and laws of chess are adhered to). The title was established in 1951.
Arbiters are electronic devices that allocate access to shared resources.
Arbiter is a fictional ceremonial, religious, and political rank bestowed upon alien Covenant Elites in the Halo science fiction universe. In the 2004 video game Halo 2, the rank is given to a disgraced commander as a way to atone for his failures. ...
StarCraft is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney, and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. ...
Blizzard Entertainment's bestselling real-time strategy game series StarCraft revolves around interstellar affairs in a distant sector of the galaxy, with three species and multiple factions all vying for supremacy in the sector. ...
A person appointed, or chosen, by parties to determine a controversy between them; an arbitrator; A person or object having the power of judging and determining, or ordaining, without control; one whose power of deciding and governing is not limited; To act as arbiter